2y ago

Ohio priest gets life in prison for grooming, sex trafficking boys with opioid addictions

TOLEDO, Ohio (WKRC) - A Catholic priest in Ohio was sentenced to life in prison for grooming and sex trafficking children and adults.

56-year-old Rev. Michael Jude Zacharias was convicted on one count of sex trafficking of a minor, two counts of sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, or coercion, and two counts of sex trafficking an adult by force, fraud, or coercion.

31 comments

Weird, he doesn't look trans to me.
- Maybe a drag queen? Just cant tell from the pic.
  
  Considering priests wear dresses, they're the OG cross dressers.
- He was gay for God. Gottem.
Not a drag queen or a trans person--a priest
Republican, I presume...?
- If Republicans didn't constantly try to make being queer synonymous with pedophilia, this kind of statement wouldn't be ironic and funny. Unfortunately, there's an entire political party trying to make being queer synonymous with pedophilia, so this joke hits.
Always the one you most expect
- I don't understand why priests do this. Like they can just literally have sex with oh I do see the problem yeah.
Seriously, can someone make it so priests can get married at this point? Maybe then Catholicism can return to be a religion instead of what seems like a business front-end for a shady "hobby." It wouldn't cure these men of their "issues" but at least adults who like other adults would be pushed towards the front more.
Also, people need to stop going to Toledo. It's literally one of the worst places in the US for sex trafficking.
- It's all about accumulation of power and wealth. Catholic priests used to be allowed to be married but the Vatican wants the property to be kept to themselves, rather than passed on to the offsprings of priests. Since then, it has become source of controversies and psychological problems for Catholics for millenia.
  Having been raised Catholic (now I'm agnostic), I remember growing up when people make a big deal of priests falling in love and getting married (nevermind their sexual proclivities due to sexual repression). It is a huge source of gossips and a taboo. It is unthinkable. It is though as if they committed a sin to god. And then you have other Christian denominations whose priests allow to be married and it is non-issue. The Orthodox Christian is as old as the Catholic church but they allow marriage among clergies and you hear little to no abuse, unlike the Catholics. As with most religious, Catholic laymen and women are stuck in their own bubble and do not think that clerical marriages should not be an issue.
  
  That makes sense even though the reason is strange. Why would working somewhere imply the priest owns the place?
- You believe people become abusing sex traffickers because they don't have a wife?
  People who seek to control other people are attracted to positions where they have access to vulnerable people.
  You could also argue that religious people have surprisingly often fucked up moral values. Beginning with believing you can pray away your sins instead of taking responsibility. Or that people are of different worth.
  But the idea that marriage makes people less likely to be abusers is a theroy that doesn't make a lot of sense in my opinion.
  
  "It wouldn’t cure these men of their “issues” but at least adults who like other adults would be pushed towards the front more."
- I agree completely. The church could put certain restrictions on it if they wanted. For example, all relationships need to be approved, only priests and nuns can marry, you need to have already been a priest for a certain time before you can get married, etc. I don't think it'll happen in the near future unfortunately.
  
  When pope francis stepped up, therewas a petition to allow married men to be priests. As far as I can tell it didn't go anywhere. But at least it's been brought up officially.
  
  As another person replied, the issue is related to property. It seems the Catholic Church is worried somehow the priest's offspring will somehow inherit church property?
How the mighty have fallen. Lol
- What did Paul Giamatti do to you?
  
  He entertained me and gave me hope, damn it!
This guy is straight up 100% a sociopath.
Look at that Gay Drag Queen!
Ironic
I wondered priest of which denomination, opened the article, "catholic". shit.

31 comments